Holy carp!

Yes, be jealous, for I spent TWO days in Havana, Ill. this week. You won’t find a Zagat entry on the tiny river town, but I was there strictly on business: desperately trying to capture scenes along the Illinois River for a Heartland assignment running in the Sunday Journal Star. Day one was nearly a bust, but today I struck gold. A little tug boat crew allowed me onboard for most of the day, where we pushed and shoved barges all day and generally had a good time. This photo is technically an outtake from the day, but who doesn’t like a good fish story? Check back Sunday for the real deal.

– Adam Gerik

Evan Houghton, 23, left, wrestles an Asian carp with some help from Brock Brooks, 25, while the two work on the Danny H. tug boat Wednesday in Havana. Find more photos along the Illinois River in the Heartland section of the Sunday Journal Star.

Assistant managing editor/digital of the Journal Star + pjstar.com, overseeing photo/graphics/web crew at the paragraph factory. Formerly a staff photographer, but forever a Kansan. Contact him at agerik@pjstar.com or on Twitter @ofadam.